On 8 April 2013, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died of a stroke in London at the age of 87. On 17 April, she was honoured with a ceremonial funeral. Due to polarised opinion about her achievements and legacy, reaction to her death was mixed throughout Britain and evoked contrasting praise and criticism. The funeral, including a formal procession through Central London, followed by a church service at St Paul's Cathedral, cost around £3.6 million including £3.1 million for security. The funeral was notable for the attendance of the reigning monarch, Elizabeth II; each of her four successors as prime minister also paid homage. Thatcher's body was subsequently cremated at Mortlake Crematorium.

Thatcher's ashes were buried at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, in a private ceremony on 28 September 2013, alongside those of her husband Denis.

Illness and death

Thatcher suffered several small strokes in 2002 and was advised by her doctors not to engage in any more public speaking.[1] On 23 March, she announced the cancellation of her planned speaking engagements and that she would accept no more.[2] But despite her illness, she pre-recorded a eulogy for the funeral of Ronald Reagan in June 2004, and attended her 80th birthday celebration in 2005 with the Queen and 650 other guests in attendance.[3] However, her health continued to decline; she was briefly hospitalised in 2008 after feeling unwell during a dinner, and again after falling and fracturing her arm in 2009. In June 2009, her daughter Carol spoke to the press of her mother's struggle with dementia.[4][5]

Details of Thatcher's funeral had been agreed with her in advance.[15] Specifically, Thatcher had chosen the hymns and stipulated that the prime minister of the day would deliver a reading from the Bible.[16] She had previously vetoed a state funeral; reasons included cost, parliamentary deliberation,[17] and that it suggested similar stature to Winston Churchill (with which she disagreed).[18] Instead with her and her family's agreement, she received a ceremonial funeral,[19] including military honours,[20] a guard of honour, and a service at St Paul's Cathedral, London. The arrangements were similar to those for the Queen Mother in 2002 and for Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, except with greater military honours as she had been a former head of government. Thatcher's body was cremated after the funeral, in accordance with her wishes.[21]

Some of Thatcher's supporters expressed disappointment that she would not be given a full state funeral.[17] However, Peter Oborne in The Daily Telegraph argued that the scale of the ceremony amounted to a de facto state funeral and disagreed with the status of a ceremonial funeral. Oborne contended that the Queen's attendance might be seen as "partisan", since she had not attended Labour prime minister Clement Attlee's funeral.[14]

The scale and the cost to the taxpayer of the funeral, inaccurately estimated before the event at up to £10 million in total, was also criticised by public figures including the Bishop of Grantham, Lord Prescott and George Galloway.[22][23][24] Thatcher's family agreed to meet part of the cost of the funeral, unspecified but thought to cover transport, flowers and the cremation. The government would fund the remaining costs, including security.[25] After the event, it was reported by 10 Downing Street that in fact the total public spending on the funeral was £3.6 million, of which £3.1 million (86 per cent) had been the costs of police and security.[26]

Anticipating possible protests and demonstrations along the route, police mounted one of the largest security operations since the 2012 Summer Olympics.[27][28] Against the backdrop of the bombings at the Boston Marathon two days earlier, it was announced that over 4,000 police officers would be deployed.[29] In the event, the crowds were peaceful, with supporters drowning out most of the scattered protests with cheers and applause.[30]:10.02 am, 10.32 am, 10.40 am, 10.45 am[31][31] A few hundred people turned up to protest at Ludgate Circus, some shouting and others turning their backs, with other protesters picketing along the route.[32]

Day of the funeral and aftermath

Security checks (before the service) in the early hours of 17 April 2013

At St Paul's, the coffin was carried into the Cathedral by members of the Armed Forces and borne down the nave preceded by her grandchildren, Michael and Amanda, who carried cushions bearing Thatcher's insignia of the Order of the Garter and the Order of Merit

The bidding (introductory words) was given by the Dean of St Paul's, David Ison. Granddaughter Amanda gave the first Bible reading; the second reading was given by David Cameron.[36] The Bishop of London also gave an address.[37]

It was expected that there would be about 2,300 mourners within St Paul's Cathedral for the funeral. Invitations were decided by the Thatcher family and their representatives, together with the government and the Conservative Party. The guest list included her family and friends; former colleagues including former British Cabinet members; and personal staff who worked closely with her. Invitations were also sent to representatives of some 200 countries, and to all five living presidents of the United States[38] and four British prime ministers. Two current heads of state, 11 serving prime ministers, and 17 serving foreign ministers were present.[39]

Following the church service, the coffin was taken by motor hearse from St Paul's Cathedral to Mortlake Crematorium, where Sir Denis Thatcher had been cremated nearly a decade before. The cremation service was only attended by the immediate family. On 28 September 2013, a private and unpublicised service for Thatcher was held in the All Saints Chapel of the Royal Hospital Chelsea's Margaret Thatcher Infirmary. Afterwards Thatcher's ashes were interred in the grounds of the hospital, next to those of her husband.[43][44]

Reactions

Family

On 10 April, two days following Thatcher's death, her son Mark spoke of his mother's death on the steps of her Chester Square home. He told a gathering of journalists that his family was "proud and equally grateful" that her funeral service would be attended by the Queen, whose presence he said her mother would be "greatly honored as well as humbled by". He expressed gratitude for all the messages of support and condolences from far and wide.[45] Three days later on 13 April her daughter Carol thanked President Obama of the United States and others for their tributes, and all those who had sent messages of sympathy and support.[46]

Domestic

The Union Flag in Jersey lowering at half-mast while the funeral took place

Anti-government demonstration in Liverpool while the funeral took place

Political reaction

A Buckingham Palace spokesman reported the Queen's sadness on hearing the news of her death, and that she would be sending a private message to the family.[47]

Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader David Cameron cut short a visit to Spain and ordered flags to be flown at half-mast. He issued a statement lamenting Britain's loss of "a great prime minister, a great leader, a great Briton".[48][49] The Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, eulogised Thatcher as having defined modern British politics and that, while she may have "divided opinion" during her time, there would be scant disagreement about "the strength of her personality and the radicalism of her politics".[47]

Leader of the Opposition and Labour Party leader Ed Miliband said that she would be remembered for having "reshaped the politics of a whole generation [and moving] the centre ground of British politics" and for her stature in the world. He said that, although the Labour Party had disagreed with much of what she did, "we can disagree and also greatly respect her political achievements and her personal strength".[47]

Sir John Major, her successor as prime minister, credited Thatcher's leadership with turning Britain around in large measure. "Her reforms of the economy, trades union law, and her recovery of the Falkland Islands elevated her above normal politics."[47] Former Labour prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown said that even those who disagreed with her would admire her strength of character, her convictions, her view of Britain's place in the world and her contribution to British national life.[50]

Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas voiced regret that, although Thatcher was the first female prime minister, "she did little for women either inside or outside the House of Commons".[53]UKIP leader Nigel Farage expressed his sympathy in a tweet, paying homage to "a great patriotic lady".[54]

Wider reaction

The House of Commons held a special session discussing Thatcher's legacy.[55] While current and former cabinet ministers struck a conciliatory tone in their speeches, some in the Labour Party attacked Thatcher's legacy.[25][56][57] Over half of all Labour MPs chose to boycott the tribute to Thatcher,[58] with many saying it would have been hypocritical for them to honour her as their constituents continued to suffer from some of the decisions she made.[59][53] Retired MP Tony Benn, former London mayor, Ken Livingstone, and Paul Kenny, General Secretary of the GMB trade union, stated that her policies were divisive and her legacy involved "the destruction of communities, the elevation of personal greed over social values and legitimising the exploitation of the weak by the strong",[60] however Benn did acknowledge some of her personal qualities.[61]

The issue of whether to fly the flag at half-mast for her funeral caused controversy for some councils where local feelings remained hostile. The government's national flag protocol dictates that union flags should be lowered to half mast on the funeral days of all former prime ministers;[86] however most Scottish councils did not lower the flag for the funeral.[87] Councils in England that refused to lower the flag included Barnsley, Sheffield and Wakefield in Yorkshire,[88] as well as Coventry in the West Midlands.[89]

Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, described Thatcher as "a great model as the first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who not only demonstrated her leadership but has given such great hope for many women for equality, gender equality in Parliament".[98] The message from Pope Francis "recalls with appreciation the Christian values which underpinned her commitment to public service and to the promotion of freedom among the family of nations".[99]

Barack Obama, President of the United States, lamented the loss of "a true friend". His statement praised her as "an unapologetic supporter of our transatlantic alliance, she knew that with strength and resolve we could win the Cold War and extend freedom's promise".[100] Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper acknowledged Thatcher as having "define[d] the age in which she served [as well as] contemporary conservatism itself".[101]

French President François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel remarked that Thatcher left "a deep impression on her country's history".[102] Merkel went on to hail Thatcher's belief in the freedom of the individual as having contributed to "overcoming Europe's partition and the end of the Cold War"[47]

Irish President Michael D. Higgins extended his condolences saying: "She will be remembered as one of the most conviction-driven British prime ministers who drew on a scholarship that demanded markets without regulation" and that "her key role in signing the Anglo-Irish Agreement will be recalled as a valuable early contribution to the search for peace and political stability".[103]Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny said he was "saddened" to learn of Thatcher's death,[104] while Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams criticised "the great hurt done to the Irish and British people during her time as British prime minister", adding: "Here in Ireland, her espousal of old draconian militaristic policies prolonged the war and caused great suffering".[63]

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy hailed her as a 20th century landmark and said it was a sad day for Europe.[106]

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called her a great statesperson.[107]
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard expressed admiration for Thatcher's achievements as a woman.[108]

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key praised Thatcher's determination and expressed his "[sadness] for her family and Great Britain".[109] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lamented losing "a true friend of the Jewish people and Israel".[110]

Romanian President Traian B?sescu and the premier and foreign minister of Bulgaria, Marin Raykov, cited her influence on them, and sent their condolences. They recognised Thatcher as a central figure in modern European history, and that her application of the law and economic liberal principles contributed to the downfall of communism in the Eastern Bloc.[111][112]

At the wishes of Thatcher's family, Argentina's president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was not invited to the funeral. Argentine foreign minister Héctor Timerman said that any invitation would have been "just another provocation".[114] The Argentine ambassador Alicia Castro was invited in line with diplomatic protocol,[38] but declined the invitation.[115]

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and South African President Jacob Zuma expressed their "deepest sympathies".[116][117] as did Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said that Thatcher was "a pragmatic, tough and consistent person".[118] Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev expressed sadness at the loss of a "great" politician "whose words carried great weight".[12]